The Queen of Hearts- Blog 20

The Queen of Hearts- Blog 20

 

            Roses date over 5,000 years to ancient origins in China and Persia. They are cultivated today in Turkey, Russia, and Bulgaria, India, southern France, and Italy. The rose family has opened and healed more hearts than a surgeon. The mirrors unconditional love, forgiveness, and empathy, while encouraging every admirer to aspire towards perfection. Roses fulfill an inner desire for completeness. Every part of the rose is beautiful, fragrant, graceful or strong. Thorns are listed as strong!

            What cannot be said with words, the fragrant shape and color of this flower communicates effectively. The rose washes away grief to offer hope, calms the dying to prepare for eternity, offers joy to replace depression and emotional pain, celebrates the innocence of a newborn, and opens the heart to attract love.

            Only a few rose species produce rose oil. Rosa damascene is cultivated in Bulgaria. The country is practically a rose plantation. Damask rose is the species, which initiated fragrance in other species associated with the heady rose scent.  I grow autumn damask, believed to be the variety that was used to graft and develop new species beautiful fragrant roses, such as the Bourbons. Damask roses are now cultivated in Tunisia and Morocco, yielding a more delicate scented essential oil than the popular Bulgarian rose oil. Equally beautiful damask rose is cultivated in India, Russia, and China.

            Rose centifolia, from the cabbage rose, originated in Persia. It is now primarily cultivated in Egypt. I love growing cabbage old roses. Hey adapt to southern weather patterns and light up every garden with magnificent blooms.

            Rose gallica originated in the Caucasus. Today, it is also cultivated in Turkey. Turkish rose essential oil is considered strong and sometimes undesirable for aromatherapy. I like it. Add a drop or two to blends that lack passion and richness. Obtain samples of all the different roses to choose your favorite, or enjoy all of them!

            To choose rose oil for aromatherapy, learn the different adjectives that describe them. Rose otto or rose attar describes steam distilled rose oil. Most otto has a very light aroma, sometimes lost, or overwhelmed in a blend. The very narcotic or heady scent of a rose is an absolute. Rose absolute is a solvent extracted by alcohol or hexane. It is preferred for perfumes and may be a very thick or semi liquid oil. The alcohol or the hexane is removed before the final product is offered. Rose otto is also separated from its hydro late with hexane, which is later removed. A concrete is an extraction using hexane, yielding a semi solid wax. Concretes are used in solid perfumes and to extend the rose scent more economically in aromatic blends. Concretes have a much softer scent than absolutes and yield a subtle fragrance. Absolutes of any rose are more expensive. Five thousand pounds of roses only produce one pound of oil. Any true rose oil is expensive. Rose oils can be adulterated with chemical scents, so take the time to research the source. Rose oil is the most exquisite heart note in aromatherapy and blends with every aroma. It is truly worth the investment.

            If you cannot afford rose oil, consider growing old roses with the most perfume. Cabbage roses, Rosa centifolia, and moss roses have the finest perfume scent, and the most dramatic flowers. Moss roses, Rosa centifolia mucosa, have whiskers covering the stems and calyx. The flowers of both sub species are full, double cupped roses with various shades of pink or white petals. There is a striped moss with many shades of pink and red markings that remind me of candy cane. The striped moss makes an ideal potted plant. Alfred de Dalmas is another small moss rose with creamy pink petals and whiskers. Both have unknown parentage, except they are related to gallica roses. Madame Louis Levique is known for perfect: large silky soft, deep pink flowers, which exude a fragrance to challenge the most talented perfumer. These are a few examples of old roses to be grown for pleasure and fragrance. They make a fine rose water to rinse your hair and apply to your skin.

            Before studying the many medicinal effects of roses, let’s focus on pleasure. Rose combines with many oils, including jasmine, neroli, orange, geranium, lavender, vetiver, patchouli, sandalwood, chamomile, clary sage, rosewood, tonka bean, Peru balsam, and Ylang ylang extra. Tonka bean has an almost caramel scent. Peru balsam has a very light vanilla odor. Neither of these lesser-known scents will overpower a blend. If you do not enjoy the scent of rose oil, a few drops may be added to a blend to add warmth and richness. In the following blends, use a rose oil of your choice.

           

The Lady loves Roses perfume

In 3.7 ml. (1 dram) brown bottle,

Combine:          10 drops Rose

                        5 drops Ylang ylang extra

                        5 drops Neroli

            *          3 drops Peru balsam or 2 drops Sandalwood

Fill the bottle with either jojoba oil or 190 proof alcohol. Cap tightly and store 1 to 2 weeks in a cool, dark place. Apply to the neck or base of the throat.

 

*Note: Peru balsam is a resinous material. It dissolves easily in 190 proof alcohol. The consistency and color is like molasses. Each “drop” can be extracted from the bottle with a crochet hook. One drop will dissolve in ½ teaspoon of alcohol. Added to jojoba oil, it will fizz momentarily. The scent will not over power a blend like vanilla essential oil, which has a liquor aroma. Peru balsam is a base note in aromatherapy, acting as a fixative in a blend.

 

Man’s Best Friend perfume

In 3.7 ml. brown bottle,

Combine:          5 drops Rose

                        5 drops Jasmine (Sambuca or Grandiflorum)

                        3 drops Petitgrain

                        1 drop Patchouli

Fill the bottle with either jojoba oil or 190 proof alcohol. Store in a cool, dark place. Cap tightly and allow the blend to cure 1 to 2 weeks before using.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not so Sweet perfume

 

In 3.7 ml. (1 dram) brown bottle,

Combine:          3 drops Coriander

                        5 drops Rose

                        1 drop Lemongrass, Lemon or Litsea cubeba

                        1 drop Nutmeg

 

Fill the bottle with either jojoba oil or 190 proof alcohol. Cap tightly and store 1 to 2 weeks in a cool, dark place 1 to 2 weeks before applying.